


White Winter

by xfitzwellsx



Category: Harlots (TV)
Genre: F/F, Mild Depiction of Blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-05 03:27:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20482094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xfitzwellsx/pseuds/xfitzwellsx
Summary: Eleven year old Charlotte takes her younger sister, Lucy, out to play in the snow and runs into Isabella, nine years prior to their real first meeting.





	White Winter

“Go on and take your sister outside to play, Charlotte.” Margaret Wells ordered her oldest daughter as the bawd took the hand of a cull and began to lead him through the house. Eleven year old Charlotte looked at the stranger on her mother’s arm with disdain, standing up and taking the hand of her six year old sister. As Margaret disappeared up the stairs, Charlotte made her way to the door, little Lucy in tow. 

“Lottie, help.” Lucy asked innocently, trying to slip gloves over her hands but having trouble getting a good grip. Charlotte adjusted the bonnet around her own head before reaching out to take the gloves from her little sister, adjusting them on her tiny hands. She did the same with Lucy’s bonnet and cloak before putting her own on, making sure the laces to Lucy’s boots were tied. 

From above Charlotte could hear her mothers cries of pleasure, and the young child rolled her eyes, wrapping an extra linen scarf around Lucy’s neck to keep her from the cold. Pulling the heavy door open, the children were greeted with the harsh winds of winter, large specs of snow falling on their heads and shoulders as they trudged outside. 

They didn’t travel far, as Margaret often instructed. Just close enough so they could still hear their mothers shouting should it arise. “Stay out of the street, Lucy.” Charlotte guided her little sister towards a small patch of snow that sat a few feet from the nearby tavern, away from the bustle of the busy streets. There they began to play, Lucy excitedly thrusting her glove clad fingers into the cold snow. 

“How come mama won’t come and play?” Lucy squeaked out as she began to form a ball of snow in her grasp. Charlotte grimaced at this. For a girl of only eleven, she was far more knowledgeable on the lewd activities of her mother than she should have been. Perhaps it was because, as of recently, Charlotte had been involved in more and more conversations of her mothers growing...business. 

_ They’ll have you for good money, _ she could still hear her mothers voice in her ear, explaining to her the part that she would soon be playing in helping the family make money. In a little less than a year, Charlotte was to become just like her mother. A harlot. A whore. Nothing more than a banknote folded up in Margaret Wells’ bosom. She was still having a hard time wrapping her young mind around it.

“She’s playing too, Sprat.” Charlotte assured in the best way she could, halfheartedly forming her own balls of snow as she crouched in the snow. This made Lucy look up at her questioningly, and Charlotte just shook her head. “Never you mind. Come on, help me get this wall higher.” She brushed the subject off as she made her way over to Lucy, the pair setting their balls of hardened snow aside and beginning to work on building a fort of sorts that they could hide behind. 

Charlotte brought over the snow balls, carrying them in her lifted skirt over to the wall and hiding behind it with Lucy. Taking their positions, the girls held back giggles as they waited for some unsuspecting victims. When finally some poor souls turned the corner onto Russell Street, Charlotte and Lucy each grabbed a ball of snow from the pile, reeling their arms back and launching them directly at their targets. The balls broke into powder against their victims, one hitting a woman in the arm, the other landing in the back of a gentleman’s head. The pair grunted with confusion and surprise, looking around to see who’d thrown the offending objects.

Charlotte and Lucy erupted into mad laughter, immediately falling behind the safety of their fort before they were seen and clutching their stomachs as they laughed. Waiting until they were sure the couple had passed, they looked over the wall of snow and awaited their next victims. 

It continued on like this for a while longer, until the tips of their noses and cheeks were rosy with chill. Charlotte could see that Lucy was getting tired, and would no doubt want to return to the warmth of the hearth soon. But Charlotte could see the front door to their home from where they sat, and hadn’t yet seen the man who’d taken her mother’s hand exit. “Just a few more minutes, Lucy. I’ll make you a bowl of porridge, if you can wait. I’ll even take some sugar from Ma’s bowl.” She whispered sneakily to the little girl, who’s face lit up in delight at the idea. 

Charlotte stood to peek out over the wall of snow again, eyes scanning for oncoming targets as Lucy began to form a few more snowballs for them to toss. When done with that, she popped up beside her older sister, eyes wide with curiosity. Just then, the door to the tavern beside them swung open, two figures making their way out. Immediately the two girls took cover, trying to determine whether the pair was worthy of being attacked. 

Charlotte, being the ever daring of the pair, stuck her head out from the side of the snow wall to get a better look. The two looked to be the pinnacle of elegance; a young man and woman arm in arm pausing in the snow to adjust their coats and hats. Charlotte wondered what business they had on Russell Street. The man looked quite a bit older than his female counterpart, perhaps in his twenties, while the female held more youth to the way she carried herself. Charlotte determined she couldn’t be any older than twenty. 

“I’ve half a mind to dump you with the likes of the scum that whore themselves out to whoever would give them a second glance,” Charlotte could hear the man sneer towards his companion, Lucy tugging on the fabric of her coat, wondering what was taking so long. Charlotte shushed her, swatting her hand away in annoyance as she continued to listen. “You’ve embarrassed me for the last time. That shall be all for your excursions for the day.” 

“Harcourt -” The woman began to protest, and Charlotte couldn’t help but notice the silkiness of the voice, running through her ears like the fabric of the dresses the girls in Golden Square wore. But the woman was silenced with a simple look from the man, as if she’d crossed a sort of line by trying to reason with him.

“You’ll not be playing Bestia anymore, Isabella. Alone or with company.” Harcourt instructed, tightening his gloves around his wrists.

“Charlotte…” Lucy whined softly, trying to drag her sisters attention away from the scene. Charlotte ignored her again, eyes fixated on the young woman as she closed her mouth, and looked somewhat ashamed - or angry? Charlotte wanted nothing more in that moment than for her to swallow her shame and speak again. Not a moment later, Isabella cast her eyes away from the man and in Charlotte’s direction. Surprised at the sudden eye contact, Charlotte opened her mouth in surprise and popped back behind the snow wall, heart beating rapidly at having been caught staring. Eyes just barely moving past the wall, Charlotte caught sight of a smile on the woman’s face, having appreciated the small moment of childlike innocence that Charlotte displayed.

The man, Harcourt, had grabbed the woman roughly by the elbow, beginning to lead her away from the tavern, past the wall of snow, and towards the end of the street. Lucy, unable to keep her fidgeting and eagerness at seeing the perfect targets, and just as well unaware of Charlotte’s fixation on the woman, took hold of one of the snowballs and ran out from behind the wall of snow. The snowball left her hand a second later, flying through the air and towards the couple.

It exploded on the back of the woman’s neck, who was caught off balance and slipped forward, only being caught by the hand that dragged her along so she didn’t crash to the ground. Charlotte watched on in horror at the scene, an instant feeling of anger bubbling up inside her at her sister’s actions. She didn’t miss the look of hurt in Isabella’s eyes as she turned towards the young girls, wet snow dripping down her back and shoulders as she shivered. Harcourt only growled in frustration at having been slowed down in his path, not so much caring about the assault on his sister as he continued to drag her away from the scene. 

“ _ Lucy! _ ” Charlotte bellowed with displeasure, causing the six year old to flinch at the raised voice. Before she realized what she was doing, Charlotte grabbed one of the snowballs and with little to no hesitation, pitched it straight into her little sisters face. 

It felt as if the street had fallen dead silent before Lucy’s small, wailing cries pierced through the air. Immediately feeling guilty, Charlotte rushed to her side. She took the bonnet from her own head and began to use it to wipe at the wet, cold, icy snow on Lucy’s baby cheeks. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She tried to hush the six year old desperately, her first thought being that her Ma would give her the spanking of the century, the second being that Lucy was truly hurt. But Lucy continued to cry, and Charlotte felt a sense of absolute terror wash over her as she saw the small stream of blood that began to drip from Lucy’s nose. 

“ _ Shit _ .” The eleven year old cursed under her breath, and was sure that Lucy was tell her Ma about that, too. “Come on, Sprat. I’m so sorry,” she apologized again, using all of her strength to lift Lucy - glad she was a tiny child. Lucy wrapped her legs around her sister’s middle as Charlotte began to carry her back home, sniffling into the brunette’s neck. “I’m sorry, Lucy. Please don’t tell Ma.” She pleaded lightly, dreading every step they took that led them closer to their home. When eventually Charlotte made it, extra weight included, she set Lucy down and hurriedly began to gather a wet cloth to try and clean up the blood from her nose.

She could hear Margaret’s footsteps coming down the stairs as she was wiping the blood from Lucy’s face, heart pounding in anxiety. When Margaret eventually made her way downstairs, she stopped in the parlor as her cull left, eyes landing on Lucy first, then accusingly at Charlotte. “What’ve you done to your sister?” She demanded, taking the cloth from Charlotte’s hands and taking over as aid. Charlotte took a step back in shame, eyes meeting Lucy’s, begging for forgiveness and mercy. She didn’t very much want to admit to her mother that she’d assaulted her sister with a snowball because Lucy’d been throwing snow at  _ aristocrats _ . Then it would’ve been both of their butts hung above the hearth. “Well?” Margaret demanded again, looking at Charlotte angrily.

“I fell.” Lucy sniffled out a moment later, shaking her head. “Charlotte didn’t do anything. I slipped in the snow and hit my nose.” She lied, eyeing her older sister with a soft, trusting smile. Charlotte felt her body calm down, her heart swelling with appreciation and adoration for the blonde.

Margaret took a moment to decide if Lucy was lying - but she was her angel, and just shook her head with a tut as she instructed Charlotte to go and fetch ice for her sisters nose.


End file.
